bglass
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Dear Red,
I am sorry to hear your husband is dealing with so much fatigue. I think when treatments end, patients expect to return to normalcy, and lingering fatigue is disappointing against such expectations.
I am now almost a year out from treatment, and in my case fatigue hung around for quite a while although it has slowly gotten better. The feeling is just as you describe – e.g., no energy and feeling exhausted from simple daily activities. Walking has helped me a lot plus I have tried to slow down my life and get more rest. I was very much an energizer bunny before CCA, so this has been an adjustment for me. I feel lazy, which I don’t like one bit.
There are some good materials on the internet if you search “cancer-related fatigue.” Here is one piece:
Hopefully, the fatigue will resolve over time but important to discuss these concerns when you next see doctors.
Regards, Mary
Dear Lola,
Please accept my condolences and prayers for the loss of your beloved mother. I know it was a great comfort to your mother to have you with her through this long ordeal.
Regarding your relatives who have not called – from my own experiences with illness and passing of family members, it is not uncommon for loved ones to react in unexpected ways, to seem as if they don’t know what to do. They may for example worry they don’t know what to say or that they would say the wrong thing, or have their own unresolved issues with the person who passed, or feel guilt they weren’t more engaged or present at the end, or may imagine erroneously that you need space and they should wait a bit. From my experiences, I came to accept that there is no way to predict how family members and friends will react when there is a death, and that even very inexplicable reactions are most likely NOT expressions of rejection.
Sometimes I have tried taking a first step in reaching out to someone who seemed inexplicably slow in contacting me. It didn’t always fix things, but sometimes gave me clues about why their reaction was slow in coming or so impersonal.
Regards, Mary
Dear Katherine,
How wonderful to hear you had a successful surgery!
You asked about similar experiences. In my case (intrahepatic), I had clear margins but close in one area (also 1mm) due to a vein. My lymph nodes had not looked concerning in the pre-surgery scans and were not sampled as part of the surgery. I was told later this was because the surgery was difficult and the surgeon was “concerned about morbidity.” The pathology report cited that the tumor was large, poorly differentiated and showed vascular invasion. But the tumor was cleanly removed and no signs of cancer spread, so the surgeon was happy with the result.
He did recommend, due to the bad pathology, that I pursue adjuvant treatment. I was referred to a radiation oncologist who felt that with the close margin and unknown lymph nodes (“we have to assume they may have cancer”) I should consider a protocol that had some success with extrahepatic patients, especially those with R1 margins or positive nodes. Below is the citation for the protocol. I had four cycles of gemcitabine and capecitabine followed by five weeks of IMRT radiation to the tumor bed and related lymph nodes, together with capecitabine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4534524/
I tolerated both fairly well. The capecitabine caused problems for my feet (hand-foot syndrome) that got pretty bad at the very end, but mostly cleared up later. Also, my lymphocytes dropped way low halfway through the radiation. They crawled back over the bottom limit of normal a couple of months after treatment ended.
I have been NED now for 17 months post-surgery and have my fingers tightly crossed this continues for a good while. If I had it to do over again, I would still choose this post-surgery treatment.
There is a debate (and not much clear evidence) over whether adjuvant treatment is worth doing. I didn’t understand why anyone would choose NOT to have adjuvant treatment until my lymphocyte level dropped, which gave me some insight regarding one potential risk, which is possible weakening of the immune system. Nevertheless, I personally wanted to feel I had pursued all avenues.
Best wishes for a continued good recovery.
Regards, Mary
Fay,
I am so sorry you and your mother are not getting the support you need from your medical providers.
Your doctor’s assertion he cannot consider adjuvant or further treatment due to lack of evidence is concerning. Because this is a rare cancer and because our health system is very decentralized, there simply are not (and may never be) volumes of statistically strong studies with definitive results. For many, our treatment will be part of the research effort, for example, participating in clinical trials. There is a difference, however, between negative evidence (e.g., that a treatment won’t work) and lack of evidence.
My impressions of the doctors who have been treating me is they combine the limited evidence out there for cholangiocarcinoma with what they have seen with other related cancers (e.g., pancreatic), plus the experience of other doctors they consult, plus their gut feeling about the patient at hand, in making their recommendations.
In my case, I was offered adjuvant treatment (chemo plus radiation) starting two months after resection based on a study called SWOG S0809. This study excluded intrahepatic cases and only focused on extrahepatic CCA and gall bladder cancer. My case is intrahepatic – nevertheless, my doctors recommended following the same approach adapted to my case because the SWOG S0809 showed effectiveness for patients with R1 resections or positive nodes, and my case while R0 involved a very slim margin, unexamined lymph nodes and other high risk factors. If you read the study, while it is not randomized, it is persuasive that the protocol carries a benefit for many patients. The alternative adjuvant treatment mentioned to me was one (chemo only) that showed effectiveness in research for pancreatic cancer.
Here is the citation for SWOG S0809 in case it is of interest. The study is also discussed in a webinar on this website presented by Dr. Abby Siegel.
Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4534524/
Webinar: http://cholangiocarcinoma.org/recent-advances-in-adjuvant-therapy-for-cholangiocarcinoma/
This cancer is like being sent back to school. Sometimes I feel like I am researching term papers. This website has a lot of good info you can take to your doctor to look at if you think he is missing needed information.
Best wishes and prayers as you seek better treatment options.
Regards, Mary
Dear crfisher,
This is an interesting question. From what I have read, there are various factors that predict a less aggressive cancer. The term for this seems to be “indolent.”
For example, some CCA mutations seem to be associated with a less aggressive cancer, e.g., FGFR.
Another factor associated with aggressiveness is tumor grade. Well- or moderately-differentiated tumors are viewed as likely less aggressive than poorly differentiated ones.
I have seen the same conjecture discussed, that more aggressive cancers may be more responsive to chemotherapy because chemo attacks fast-growing cells, I don’t know, however, if there is evidence on this point one way or the other for CCA.
My own impression is that every CCA patient is unique because the cancer has a lot of diverse factors giving each of us our own “mix.” Like most everyone else, the specifics of my own case are a grab bag of positive and not so positive features, so I cross my fingers and pray for good outcomes. The trend toward personalized medicine is very favorable for us.
Regards, Mary
Dear Googily,
I am in the D.C. area and saw this piece in the Post today. We have all lost a great champion and role model within the media community. Discussion board readers saw through your posts his courageous fight and your untiring advocacy for his care. Please accept my condolences and prayers.
Regards, Mary
Alikemel,
Capecitabine is one of the chemos used for Cholangiocarcinoma.
In my case, it was used for adjuvant treatment (after surgery) together with gemcitabine. I experienced few side effects and the treatment was tolerable. One capecitabine side effect that affects some (not all) patients is “hand-foot syndrome” which results in redness, peeling skin and discomfort in the hands and feet. Skin cream with urea (at least 10%) as an ingredient can help. I started applying the skin cream morning and night to my hands and the soles of my feet from the beginning of the capecitabine treatment, which helped keep the symptom under control when it appeared after six weeks of treatment. Wearing thick cotton socks and avoiding hot water (dish-washing, hot showers) also helped.
I hope your mother has a good outcome from this treatment.
Regards, Mary
First of all, what wonderful news you are scheduled for surgery.
I was trying to remember how I felt in the weeks before my resection. What I recall is rushing through a massive to do list, getting the house and family organized. I felt like closets had to be cleaned, papers filed, supplies laid in. I had about the worst luck in this regard as our heating system failed the week before surgery and had to be replaced and then my parked car got smashed by a hit and run driver the night before surgery. I was on the phone with the insurance company as I was being wheeled into the surgical suite. In retrospect, while not fun at the time, all my household issues kept me distracted and I ended up not worrying that much about the surgery itself. I am not sure the exact lesson in this, perhaps it is to keep busy and focused in the days prior.
As to the rigors of the surgery itself, I was initially in the ICU for maybe two days, somewhat out of it, then increasingly more alert over several more days until I was discharged after a week. I was fortunate not to have complications. If I had to do the experience over, I would try to walk more while in the hospital, which is hard initially. Also the drugs are initially pretty intense – my first act after waking up after surgery was to send a selfie to my boss showing all my tubes and machines in their glory, so maybe another piece of advice has to do with prudent access to the cell phone while in the ICU.
Once home, I did need occasional oxygen for about a week. I had a drain that had to be emptied periodically, which was removed after three weeks. Showering was complicated due to the stitches and bandages plus the drain. I ended up wrapping my midsection in Saran Wrap before taking a shower. After a few days home, I was walking outside a bit. I got myself off the pain medication within three weeks so I could drive again, and stitches were removed also after three weeks. I was back at work (to a desk job) after two months.
The hospital arranged a visiting nurse who came about five times over the first ten days, to take vitals and check my incision. Diet was initially soups and juicing, it took maybe a week to get back to more normal eating.
This is what I remember. All this said, each person’s experience is different so hopefully others will chime in with additional experiences and advice. Looking back it was not the easiest period of my life but all manageable and my recovery was steady over the weeks following. My advice to someone going into this surgery would be that — like most challenges in life — it is something to work through, with time and patience and accepting there may be possible bumps along the way.
P.S. I found helpful prior to surgery reading the blog of a British fellow named John Finch who describes his day-by-day experience with a liver resection in extreme detail – if you would like this level of detail. http://www.johnfinch.me.uk/diary.html
I wish you the best possible experience and results. Regards, Mary
Andrew,
It is positive to hear that your mother-in-law’s scan showed response to treatment.
I have seen some references to the phenomenon you describe. I believe it is called “flare” or “flare response.” In other words, the first step in a positive response looks like a worsening. If you google that term you may find more information.
Here is one article. If not directly helpful, maybe it will suggest routes to look for further materials. (Being a patient and not a medical expert, I cannot comment on how recognized this article is.)
http://cancer.cytoluminator.com/cancer-photodynamic-therapy/healing%20flare.pdf
Regards, Mary
Gavin,
Thank you for reminding us all about the risks associated with aspirin. The article I posted references low-dose aspirin, which is recommended by doctors for certain individuals age 50s and up who have risks of heart disease or stroke – which was my case and why my GP recommended it for me.
Incidentally, I was told to stop taking the aspirin while under cancer treatment. Doctors said I could restart low-dose aspirin once my treatments were done and my blood counts normalized but I find when I try to resume, even that tiny dose is irritating to my stomach, I guess possibly a lingering side effect of the chemo and radiation.
I want to add that your posting of research article citations on this board is incredibly helpful -thank you!
Regards, Mary
I also wondered about statins and cholesterol, since this is the only prescribed daily med I have taken. My understanding is that there are studies showing statins to protect against various cancers, including this one for cholangiocarcinoma.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25808421
There is also research showing low dose aspirin to be protective for cholangiocarcinoma.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26940227
I was taking both a statin and low dose aspirin during the years before my diagnosis, so while it seems they protect others, they did not protect me!
Darla and Debra make an important point, that it may not be the drugs per se but the underlying conditions that are why we take them that play a role, via inflammation. In my own case, I saw in the research various measures of inflammation (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio) that can be calculated from routine blood count data, and with that info looked at the CBC from my last pre-diagnosis physical. There was no indication of inflammation suggested from these indicators for me. Big disclaimer – I have no background in medical research, so am making a huge assumption that this do-it-yourself calculus was valid!
Regards, Mary
Dear Positivity,
This is certainly a topic we all think about!
I am a CCA patient in the group with no risk or predictive factors. No relevant family history. I was diagnosed just after I had completed a very thorough physical involving my GP and three specialists, with the usual range of cancer screening tests, and had been told I was in excellent health. Cancer was found incidentally four months later because I sought treatment for a sore shoulder after I spent an afternoon moving boxes.
Only med is a statin. Otherwise, nothing remarkable relative to your list of questions, e.g., reasonable diet but not a vegetarian, moderate exercise but not an athlete.
This is one of the negative features of this cancer, it can get way out of hand before there is any awareness of its presence, and being a rare cancer, no one is even looking for it I am still amazed that I had a 9cm mass with no symptoms and normal liver counts.
Regards, Mary
Joviony,
I am sorry to hear your wife is experiencing pain around her port. In my own case, after I was past the initial pain from the port being installed which lasted about a week, there were subsequent episodes of soreness that occurred with daily activities. For example, some sleeping positions really irritated my port and the car seatbelt was most unfriendly. When the irritant passed, the discomfort largely went away within maybe 30 minutes or an hour. The discomfort was both at the port site and sometimes in my neck. Only once did it get so painful that I called the nurse, and her advice was similar to what your wife was told – probably nothing to worry about but call back if it got worse. What I experienced was more discomfort and soreness, however, rather than serious pain.
I am not a doctor, but my recollection of the advice I was given was to report any concerning pain to the nurses in the oncology department where I was treated. If I had experienced more severe pain that did not go away, my instinct would have been to push for an appointment for my medical providers to take a look.
I both loved and hated my port. It did make the chemo easier.
I hope this is helpful.
Regards, Mary
Here is a link to a report on the NY Fashion Week event from a reporter in Finland with an absolutely gorgeous photo of Lisa (scroll down).
http://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000005085401.html
It is hard to find good information on treatments and each major center seems to do things a little differently. Here is how my treatment was organized. As part of my resection, my understanding is that the surgeon first did a laparoscopic “look-see” at the start of surgery. This was to look for any metastatic spread outside of the liver as well as to plan the procedure. I think this is the typical practice. If there had been evidence the cancer had spread, the surgery would have been halted. I recall being told prior to surgery that the surgeon thought there was a 50 percent chance the surgery could be successful, due to the size and location of the mass in my liver. When I woke up in the ICU, my first thought was to look at the incision to see if the full resection had occurred – luckily it had and with clean margins.
After surgery, I was advised to have adjuvant treatment due to a slim margin and the vascular invasion seen in the pathology report. As part of the adjuvant therapy, I had IMRT radiation (with capecitabine) focused on the tumor bed and the local lymph nodes close to the liver.
I have a chest-abdomen CT scan every three months which looks at, among other areas, the peritoneum and the lymph nodes in the abdomen, and so far thankfully there has been no evidence of spread after 15 months.
I hope this information is helpful, and wish you all the best as you look into treatment options.
